


Worse Things I Could Do

by takemedowntheline



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - High School, Canon-Typical Violence, Crimes & Criminals, Crushes, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Greasers, High School, Kissing, Love, Murder, Musicals, Pre-Canon, Pre-Series, Relationship(s), Romance, Violence, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 13:52:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5377637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemedowntheline/pseuds/takemedowntheline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey so this came about because of a conversation I had with a friend about what Jerome would have been like in high school, and it kind of lead to me writing this lmao. Oops.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Worse Things I Could Do

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so this came about because of a conversation I had with a friend about what Jerome would have been like in high school, and it kind of lead to me writing this lmao. Oops.

School bells chimed throughout the bustling hallways of Gotham City High School, students were eagerly stuffing their books into their backpacks, and rushing out of the building as quickly as possible. However, amongst all of the scattering kids, a certain ginger haired teen was standing completely still while he read the casting and crew list for the upcoming Theater Arts play. GCHS had never once attempted a musical, but this year was different; They were doing Grease.

Of course, since (F/N) had been the one to step forward about doing the musical, she had been cast as Sandy, the lead role. She wasn’t the best singer, but she certainly wasn’t the worst, and it was only fair that she landed the part.

Jerome Valeska, a close friend of (F/N)’s had auditioned for the part of Danny. He had been harshly rejected due to his inability to hit a single note correctly. Frankly, the kid was tone deaf, and although he had the perfect look for Danny Zuko, the character would need to do quite a bit of singing, and Jerome would not be able to handle that.

The boy searched the long list for something that could give him the least amount of hope. His heart sank as a twinge of uneasiness passed through him when he read that he was assigned to ‘Camera Crew.’ Not only that, but he noticed that (F/N)’s malevolent ex-boyfriend was on the list as none other than Danny Zuko.

Jerome could feel his blood starting to boil. The vein in his forehead was beginning to pop out but as he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind, he stifled his anger and put on a happy face for whoever was beckoning for his attention.

He hated pretty much everyone in that school. But there was one person that he could more than tolerate, and of course, that was (Y/N). And lo and behold, the face he saw when he turned on his heels, was her’s.

The girl was holding a leather jacket towards her friend, which made him cock his head out of confusion.

“It’s for you, silly. Go on…” She pushed the jacket against his chest and he clutched it with a pale hand.

His heart couldn’t help but skip a beat as he laid his eyes on her overly-excited features. He almost didn’t have the heart to tell her, but he knew she would find out soon enough, “They put me on camera crew again.”

She replied by giving him that sympathetic look that he hated oh so much. Jerome rolled his eyes at her and spoke firmly, “It’s fine, really-”

“No It’s not fine! You’re extremely talented, and they need to recognize that. I’m gonna give the teacher a piece of my mind, I swear.”

Jerome outwardly brushed her statement off but he couldn’t help but feel warm inside. She was the only person who had ever cared for him. Not even his own mother worked to put a roof over his head, but (F/N) got a job just to convince her parents to let the young boy stay with them whenever his mom decided to kick him out, or would start getting abusive again.

“We should get headed to rehearsal. C’mon,” The ginger playfully swung his arm around her shoulders and led her down the halls as they laughed together and chatted, like they did every day. The two were inseparable, really.

Upon arrival, Jerome had already spotted his enemy. That douche-bag was sitting on top of one of the wooden desks, flirting with what seemed like an entire flock of girls.  They swooned and sighed over him and it made Jerome retch. The guy was a complete asshole who took advantage of girls and didn’t even think twice about it. Normally, something like that wouldn’t have upset him so much, but he had hurt (F/N) and that was not something he would put up with.

The class quickly started when all the students took their seats. Jerome sat in the back since he was only a cameraman, and watched as his best friend and her ex-boyfriend practiced their lines together. Table reads were always the worst for Jerome because he had nothing else to do but watch and be jealous.

The drama club would only be performing a few of the songs from the musical, and Jerome had sat patiently in the back as they went on with their practice. He thought he would be able to keep his composure for the length of the reading, but as (F/N) chimed up in a sensual voice, Jerome thought he was about to lose his mind.

“Tell me about it...stud,” She was hesitant to do any of the lines at all. She could have just walked out, refusing to perform in a couple’s play with her ex, but she needed the extra credit.

Jerome clenched his teeth and balled up his fists on the desk when he noticed Danny’s actor eyeing (F/N) like a piece of meat. If his anger was getting the best of him already, he couldn’t even imagine how worked up he would get during the kissing scenes; but hey, life went on… for some of the students, anyways.

The ginger had a plan. There was no way that he was going to let that asshole lay another finger on his friend.  He had slipped a note through the kid’s locker when no one was around, asking him to meet up after school, in very feminine handwriting, and the dumb-ass took the bait.  

Jerome didn’t plan to do any actual harm, he just wanted to rough the boy up a bit, and scare him into backing down from the role but things took a turn for the worst when the kid started mouthing off after Jerome threw his first punch.

“What the hell are you doing, dude?!” The kid shouted as he held his hand to his pulsating cheek, it starting to become red with irritation.

“I’m teaching you a lesson for fucking with my girl,” Jerome growled out through his teeth and kicked the kid in the shins, making the boy fall to the ground.

He looked up at Jerome and chuckled, “That’s what this is about? Look man, I don’t want any trouble. I gave up on her when the whore didn’t put out.”

Jerome gave the kid a menacing look and gripped the boy’s shirt collar, pulling him up so he was eye to eye with him, “You wanna say that again?”

“She wouldn’t have sex with me so I tanked her. Simple as that. Look, man, let me go and we can both go on with our lives.”

The boy could feel Jerome’s eyes burning a hole through his head. He didn’t even know what he said wrong, and truth be told, Jerome didn’t know what the kid had said wrong either, but his anger was taking control of his body and there was no stopping it.

“You know… I was going to let you go, no harm, no foul. But I’m really starting to realize what a scumbag you are,” Jerome threw a punch directly at the center of the kids face, blood sprayed out of his nose and the warm, red liquid splattered against the brick wall of the school next to them, “So I think, I’m gonna do the world a favor for once.”

Jerome proceeded to back the boy up against the wall, violently, and choke him for what seemed like a lifetime, but in reality, only a few minutes had passed. He struggled against the ginger psychopath’s grip until everything went still and Jerome let his body fall to the ground.

He stared at his hands, the hands that had just killed a man, and oddly enough, let out a chuckle. Something about seeing the light go out in someone’s eyes was extremely amusing to him, so he couldn’t help but laugh.

The homicidal boy took a moment to ponder about what he would do next. He knew that eventually, someone would start to question the whereabouts of the now deceased kid, so he had to cover it up as best as he could. He cleaned up the scene and and disposed of the body in a very creative way. Jerome may have been a ‘spur of the moment’ kind of guy, but that didn’t mean he could be sloppy in his murders. He made sure there were no prints anywhere and days had gone by before anyone even noticed (F/N)’s ex was gone.

A missing person's report was filed, but Jerome knew it would get them nowhere. After weeks went by, there were flyers plastered all over the school; at least 15 posters in each hall.

Jerome had watched Grease about 20 times in that time frame. Even without the star, the show must go on, maybe with a new and improved star.

“Oh come on, give him a shot. The play is in 4 days, and he knows the movie like the back of his hand,” (F/N) pleaded to her theater arts teacher and received a stern look in return. “He’s a great actor, and we’re really close friends. It would work. The most important thing in acting is chemistry, right?”

Although they only considered each other friends, they both knew that there was something there. Something more than just platonic love, it was so much stronger than that.

“Fine, but if this play sinks, you’re going down with it. Got it? It’ll be on you-” The teacher was cut off by a tight embrace.

“You won’t be disappointed, I promise,” She pulled away from the hug and rushed off to tell Jerome the good news.

The two practiced non-stop, at home, and at school. Once dress rehearsals rolled around, everyone could tell that this would be the best performance the school has ever hosted. The electricity between the two pals was unbelievable. They had every dance move down to a tee and the way they looked at each other made everyone forget that Jerome’s singing was way off-key.

The night of the final performance approached quickly, and both the students were more nervous than they had ever been in their entire lives.

The set started with “Summer Nights.” The couple wouldn’t have any actual physical contact quite yet. The stage was split in two by a curtain, so they couldn’t see each other, and they performed their respective parts as it got to them in the song. Their fellow classmates playing the extras in the play, such as Sandy’s clique, and a bunch of guys that Jerome really didn’t care for playing Danny’s group of greaser buddies.

During each section of the song, the lighting crew had set it up so when (F/N) started singing, her side of the stage would light up, and Jerome’s would go dim, and vice-versa.

The next song that came up was “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” which was a solo performance.

Jerome stood backstage and watched in awe as the lyrics spilled out of (F/N)’s lips effortlessly while she glided around the stage, copying the movie as closely as possible. Every once in awhile, she would glance off stage and smile lovingly at the redhead and he would simply smile back and give her a thumbs up.

The audience cheered, and the curtain closed, the crew quickly getting to work to switch the set to the drive-in.

Meanwhile, the two met up backstage. “You did great out there, (F/N),” Jerome smirked at the girl.

He propped his arm up against the wall and leaned against it, while she held arms by her side.

“Thanks, I can’t wait to see your performance,” She winked at him and he dramatically swooned, making her giggle at his playfulness.

Once the laughter had died down, she found herself standing very close to his body, the two of them feeling each other’s hot breath on one another’s faces.

“Valeska, get your butt out here! Places! Curtain opens in 60 seconds!” A voice could be heard from behind them and Jerome rolled his eyes, in annoyance.

“G-good luck, Jerome,” (F/N) whispered as she leaned in slowly, Jerome craning his neck down to reach her height.

The redhead placed his hands on her neck and fiddled with her (H/C) locks. Their eyes were closed and their lips were centimeters apart, before another interruption chimed in.

“20 seconds! Let’s get a move on!”

Jerome groaned in frustration and pulled away from the girl, her giving him an apologetic look with her (E/C) eyes.

The redhead was never one to leave a girl empty handed, so he quickly gave her a peck on the cheek before trotting off to the stage where he would perform “Sandy,” the scene at the drive-in. His was also a solo, and he nailed it.

(F/N) stood off stage, watching him nearly identically to the way he watch her just minutes before. It was like she was in a daze, from both the kiss, and the way his body moved swiftly on the stage.

Once he finished, the curtains closed once more, and he quickly hopped off the portable swing set and got situated in his spot, out of view of the audience. (F/N) was backstage changing into her last outfit. She slipped the leather pants on, as well as the black shirt, leather jacket, and cherry red high heels. Her hair and makeup were done in a fashion that framed her face perfectly, while still looking pretty close to Olivia Newton-John’s in the movie.

The scene started out with a few of the greaser extras standing in front of the carnival backdrop. Jerome walked onto the set at his cue, and said his lines with his “friends,” and when (F/N) walked onto the stage, Jerome was supposed to act surprised and in love. Truth is, he didn’t need to act.

Seeing her in her bad-ass attire made him nearly drool as she said that line. The one that had made him so angry before, except now, she was saying it to him, and it made his heart leap.

“Tell me about it… stud,” Her eyes scanned up and down his body sensually, just like she remembered Sandy doing.

The music started and Jerome began singing John Travolta’s parts, “I got chills… they’re multiplying, and I’m losing control~” He stripped out of the Letterman sweater and threw it to the ground, shaking his hips as he did so, “‘Cause the power you’re supplying, it’s electrifying!” He pretended to be electrocuted and fell to the ground, comically.

(F/N) stomped on her fake cigarette and kicked Jerome’s chest lightly, pushing him back onto the ground, but he quickly got up as she started her lyrics, “You better shape up, ‘cause I need a man, and my heart is set on you~”

The scene continued and it was perfect. The sparks between them were undeniable. They could hardly keep their hands off of each other, which wasn’t an issue because it was in the script.

“You’re the one that I want! You are the one I want, oh oh oh, honey~” They sang in unison as the leather suited girl climbed onto the prop stairs, and Jerome stumbled after her, falling at the bottom of the stairs and ogling at her rear end.

The two of them continued like this, dancing and singing sensually, just as scripted, but they both loved it.

Once they got to the prop “Shake Shack” that the shop class had built for them, (F/N) draped her arms over Jerome’s shoulders, and he put his cold hands on her upper torso, just to the sides of her breasts. This was a high school play, after all. They had to keep it as modest as possible, but his touch at her sides sent shivers up her spine anyways.

Their bodies flowed together as they shimmied in the moving box. He hopped off and helped her as well, and she jumped into his arms, her legs wrapping around her waist. He was awfully strong for a 17 year old senior.

He carried her to the strength test game and put her down, grabbing the mallet and banging on the metal piece of the prop, making the ball shoot up to the top and ring the loud bell.

At this point, the song was pretty much over, and they did their closing acting bit with Jerome’s arm wrapped tightly around the girl’s shoulders, and although it wasn’t scripted, the two shared a passionate kiss on stage at the end, which sent the audience into an excited roar, whistling being heard from the back.

Their lips locked together and they suddenly became the center of attention. Nobody knew any better, they all probably thought it was part of the play. But it wasn’t. All of that romantic and sexual tension had been leading up to this very moment, and they finally got to share it together, in front of the whole school, which made Jerome smile widely as they all bowed and the curtain closed.

They walked off stage, hand in hand, and the Theater Arts teacher approached them both, “That was amazing! I never should have doubted you. I guess I’ll have to give you two more couple roles, then, huh?"

Jerome and (F/N) turned to each other and laughed, and Jerome spoke up, “I would like that.”

(F/N)’s wide, (E/C) eyes beamed up at the taller boy, staring into his deep green irises, “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of half-assed it, so the vocabulary isn't all that great, sorry. I just wanted to jot it down asap.


End file.
